Master's in Journalism
On-Campus Course Schedule for Fall 2024

Collab for Sustainable Future

Note: Students must have completed MPJO 500/5000 Ethics, and MPJO 501/5001 Reporting and News Writing.

Dig. Analytics & Measurement

This course examines the processes for gathering, interpreting, and presenting compelling digital data. Students will learn to use digital public opinion polling, specialized reports, social media platforms, digital analysis tools, and news aggregators to explain market research, audience trends, and social conversations. Students will also create data visualization tools to streamline data presentation into succinct, engaging formats.

Note: Additional 150 min. distance learning required.

Environmental Reporting

As our planet continues to heat up, journalists increasingly will be expected to understand and report authoritatively on the Earth’s changing climate. This course will provide students with a foundation for understanding the science behind what’s causing global warming and its impact, including stronger storms, heat waves, droughts, wildfires and rising sea levels. Students will learn how to develop sources and produce balanced, contextual reporting on environmental topics like air and water pollution and why low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately affected by these environmental risks. Reporting for this class will require a review of previously published news stories about the topic, extensive interviews with human sources, obtaining and reviewing public or private records, and obtaining and analyzing data. The class meets weekly, but students will be expected to work on assignments independently as time permits throughout the week.

Note: Students must have completed MPJO 501/5001 Reporting and News Writing.

Ethics in Journalism

Ethics in journalism is not a list of DOs and DON’Ts tacked above your desk that you refer to when someone hands you stolen documents. Ethics in journalism is a series of decisions you make constantly, every day, in the routine exercise of you work. How many sources are enough for this story? What are the implications of referring to “campaign cash” instead of “campaign donations”? How much of the defendant’s quote should I use? This class is therefore intended to explore the myriad grey areas that dominate the way journalists work and live, the blurry lines that divide right from wrong, or, more accurately, divide “probably should” from “probably shouldn’t.” The goal of the class is to help you understand the ethical implications of the choices journalists make, to empower you to navigate the ethical minefield of attempting every day to explain to the world the activities of other people. This course is required for all MPS Journalism students, and must be completed by the second semester in the program. Students must earn a B (3.00) or higher in order to satisfy graduation requirements.

Note: Core requirement for the MPS degree. This course requires a grade of "B" or better. Additional 150 min. distance learning required. This course is required for all MPS Journalism students, and must be completed by the second semester in the program. Students must earn a B (3.00) or higher in order to satisfy graduation requirements.

MPS Journalism Capstone

The Master of Professional Studies Journalism degree program culminates in the Capstone. Each student produces a substantive and original reporting project on a timely issue that showcases his/her talents as a prospective journalist. It should be a major work of professional quality that requires extensive legwork, interviewing and research and will become the centerpiece of your portfolio. The Capstone experience is intended to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate that they have the journalistic skills, ethics and initiative necessary to be a professional journalist. The Capstone project is an independent reporting endeavor. Class sessions provide feedback and structure. Group instructors will give you guidance throughout the semester, and your small groups will serve as mini-newsrooms where you will be expected to give each other feedback and support. Successful completion of the MPSJ degree also requires submitting an ethics essay that reflects on your firsthand experience as a journalist. The essay will be graded as one of the assignments in the Capstone class. This is a core course of the MPS Journalism program, and students must earn a “B” (83) or higher to pass the course. Please see the Graduate Student Handbook for more details. Students with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA who receive a final grade of a B- or below may receive one opportunity to retake the course, if approved by the dean.

MPS Journalism Internship

Internships are a great way for students to gain real-world experiences and network with professionals in the field. Many employers require at least some internship experience to appear on a student’s resume. Taking on an internship while in the MPS Journalism program can help students integrate and enhance the skills they are learning in the classroom with professional, hands-on experiences. Students must participate in the internship according to the guidelines furnished by the employer, and they will be required to submit a weekly 500-word writing assignment reflecting on the successes and challenges of the internship. At the end of each semester, the student’s supervisor must complete an evaluation of the student’s performance, and submit it directly to the MPS Journalism program. ** Students must receive approval from the MPS Journalism program prior to enrolling in the Internship class.

Note: Extensive, documented academic activity and experiential learning outside of classrom (min. 3-4 hours per week) is required. Needs Department Approval

MPS Journalism Internship II

Internships are a great way for students to gain real-world experiences and network with professionals in the field. Many employers require at least some internship experience to appear on a student’s resume. Taking on an internship while in the MPS Journalism program can help students integrate and enhance the skills they are learning in the classroom with professional, hands-on experiences. Students must participate in the internship according to the guidelines furnished by the employer, and they will be required to submit a weekly 500-word writing assignment reflecting on the successes and challenges of the internship. At the end of each semester, the student’s supervisor must complete an evaluation of the student’s performance, and submit it directly to the MPS Journalism program. ** Students must receive approval from the MPS Journalism program prior to enrolling in the Internship class. Note: Extensive, documented academic activity and experiential learning outside of the classroom (min. 6-8 hours per week) is required.

Note: This course is cross-listed with MPPR 873-02 and MPMC 774-02. To be manually entered into the course, students need approval from their program director.

MPS Journalism Internship III

This one-credit course is designed to give credit for students doing an internship with an organization that requires them to receive credit. The internships should be substantive and have the goal of providing relevant industry experience, portfolio items or other professional work for students to use when looking for jobs. This course is also meant as a way to help support students who are doing internships. Students are expected to check in every week with the instructor about their experience so that the instructor can give guidance for the internship and for working within a professional organization.

Note: Registration requires department approval and a manual add by your Program Director. This course is cross-listed with MPPR-7953-01 and MPMC 7953-01. The prerequisites for this course are MPJO 860/7951 internship one and MPJO 861/7952 internship two.

Photo & Video Storytelling

Foundation requirement for Journalism majors. This course requires a grade of "B" or better to pass. Additional 150 minute distance learning component required. Course Description: This course is designed to give the student the ability to communicate in the Video Age--whether for television or the web. We call it storytelling to emphasize the communication of ideas, rather than simply the technical knowledge of shooting and editing video. Students will begin by learning how shots work together, how to write compelling scripts, and how to use audio for best effect. Then students will work with professional camera equipment to develop shooting, lighting, and audio skills. The class will also have hands-on instruction in editing techniques using Final Cut Pro. By the end of the course, students should be comfortable in the video storytelling process--from the flash of an idea, to the finished product on the screen, in the field, and in the studio. Students who entered the MPS Journalism program in Summer 2010 and thereafter must complete this class and receive a grade of solid "B" (3.00) or higher in order to graduate.

Note: Foundation requirement for the Journalism Program. This course requires a grade of "B" or better.

Political Reporting

Students will learn the techniques of reporting on political candidates, events, and issues. Through hands-on writing and reporting assignments as well as the analysis of the day's print, broadcast, and digital political journalism, students will learn how to craft informative, contextual, and balanced stories on politics. At the end of this course, students will be able to: *Understand the techniques of reporting on political candidates, events, and issues *Find and develop sources in politics and in Congress *Craft informative, contextual, and balanced political stories *Fact-check politicians' statements and campaign ads *Read and understand federal campaign finance reports

Note: Students must have completed MPJO 500/5000 Ethics, and MPJO 501/5001 Reporting and News Writing.

Race & Inclusive Storytelling

Today’s writers and editors are expected to curate and engage with communities around a variety of multicultural topics: Gender, Race, Nationality, Sexuality and Religion to name a few. This course will allow students to explore, expand and probe the notion of diversity and the “other.” The clash of cultures is playing out in the corridors of power. But how does it impact individuals? Students will learn how to identify larger trends through the individual. Mainstream news organizations such as the New York Times and NPR now have beats which cover global health and poverty, gender and race among others. Students will be asked to cover a community they are not familiar with -- whether it be a refugee family, an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, women in the workplace, or a poor neighborhood to name a few examples. You will learn how to tell a story that makes everyone care. We will read, listen and watch some great works of multicultural reporting to serve as context and critique new ones. This course will be reporting and writing intensive. The goal will be to create a multimedia platform –blogs, photos, and one long form piece whether it be magazine, podcast or long for video that everyone can contribute to. You learn also how to pitch the story to get editors interested.

Note: Students must have completed MPJO 501/5001 Reporting and News Writing.

Reporting and News Writing

Journalism begins with basic reporting. This class focuses on the basics of beat reporting, one of the building blocks of any newsroom and journalism career. The class will also take a closer look at the reporting and writing process, from finding an idea to researching it, pitching it and executing it into a publishable article. Students will strive to become experts on the neighborhood they cover through old-school shoe leather reporting and will keep abreast of spot news while learning how to identify and pursue longer-form enterprise stories. The class will also have a Twitter handle and Facebook page — DChoods — where students will publish routinely and practice writing for social media and cultivating sources and finding story ideas using these new tools. The updates on Twitter and Facebook will not just be news stories, but also tidbits collected during visits to the neighborhood, which should be visited weekly at minimum. This is a core course of the MPS Journalism program, and students must earn a “B” (83) or higher to pass the course. Please see the Graduate Student Handbook for more details.